review

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Lenni Reviews: “Sayuri” by Rensuke Oshikiri

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers.

Norio and his family move into a new home only to find nothing but pain and hardship.

While it seems like this is building up slowly to a typical haunted house story, the absolute mad frenzy this becomes was genuinely horrific. It’s scary and sad to watch this family falling apart. Some of the art for this defies the original expectation I had of the style not being able to handle it, as it’s fairly cute, but:

I don’t want to post too many screenshots, but yeah, fucking terrifying. If you read a lot of horror manga, you might find this predictable, and I personally prefer happier endings, but this is worth checking out. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Parasyte Paperback Collection” Vol. 1, by Hitoshi Iwaaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In a world where humanity is slowly being taken over by alien parasites, Shinichi ends up infected. While he manages to contain the being to his arm, he is thrust into a dangerous life with the alien Migi as an ally.

This is another series that I’ve gone so long without interacting with up until now. Finally getting to it, I can see why it’s such a classic. It has horror elements I enjoy, the clueless but well-meaning protagonist, a greater threat looming in the future… I can see where Ajin got its inspiration, while this is, of course, very different. Since it is an older series, the tone and art are very nostalgic, and maybe younger readers will be affected by that, as it’s a completely different vibe from more modern titles. As for me, I like it, and I’m glad I’m able to experience it. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Flip Flip Slowly” by Mame Ohtako

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Hagiwara is a librarian in a small town where nothing much happens. When a new face, Yubimi, becomes a regular, he is intrigued, and they become friends and possibly something more.

Not gonna lie, I see a main character that’s a librarian, I want to read it. Call it egotistical since I am a librarian. I gravitate towards depictions of my profession in media (if you haven’t seen The Public, you should. It’s amazing). So, when I say Hagiwara’s job is idealized as fuck, I’m not exaggerating. Maybe because it’s a small town and not American, but I did note a distinct lack of bodily fluids and screaming. And it’s also why I am extra “icked” out about Hagiwara dating a patron. That being said, this moved quickly to get our main couple into bed and then just kinda stopped. There were some heavy things in here that could have been explored, but weren’t, which is a shame because it had great potential. Also, a minor gripe: it’s not likely you’re gonna keep your glasses on when getting hot and heavy. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Spacewalking With You” Vol. 1, by Inuhiko Doronoda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Kobayashi is an underachiever, completely apathetic towards school, and can’t seem to focus. When a new student, Uno, arrives, Uno is overly enthusiastic and on the spectrum, opening Kobayashi’s eyes to different ways of thinking and doing things.

After so much yaoi and romance, I can’t express how refreshing this beautiful friendship is. I know what I pick to read, and I’m not ashamed of it, but I will say this is a breath of fresh air. I admit to tearing up. So far, the whole cast is fantastic and positive. Uno has his breakdowns, and the art represents this as well as a neurotypical person like me can say they do. Those are the most intense parts. It’s as if you took the romance (and possible death omens) out of Insomniacs After School and replaced it with mismatched friends. I love it! 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Vampire in the Bathhouse” by Niko Izuki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

When Luka, a vampire, visits a bathhouse to recover from a hangover, he falls in love with the place. Now that it’s Luka’s regular spot, Sakura, the eldest son running the place, has his life turned upside down with supernatural shenanigans.

This is a fun comedy that features my favorite character type of “positive, good-natured, hard worker” in Sakura. The art style looks like it could handle some more serious supernatural elements, but overall, this stays light-hearted. There are the typical comedic tropes and some suggestive nudity (it is set in a bathhouse after all), but there is no smut. If you’re in the market for some goofy fun with a smattering of mostly naked pretty men, this is amusing. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate: Making Friends and Not Scaring People” by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a Komi-themed guide to opening up and making new friends.

This is really cute, and while it is absolutely idealistic, it’s very digestible. It’s a fun way to learn a bit and relive some classic moments from the manga series. If you are a huge fan, this may be a worthwhile addition to your collection or maybe a gift to a young fan who’s a bit shy. I think these types of books are fun! I wonder if Food Wars will come out with an official cookbook (one lazy search brought up some independently published ones). 4.7 out of 5 since it’s a fun little extra book for fans.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dogs and Punching Bags” by Kaori Ozaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Nichiko returns from a complicated life in the city to her small hometown to see her dying father and meets Chimaki, a strange yet chipper guy who is obsessed with saving and/or helping to make up for a tragic mistake in his past.

This is just beautiful. It’s funny, sad, poignant, and amazing to experience. It’s sad and melancholic in the beginning, but it’s a story about finding a place where you can be your best self and be happy despite a sad past. This would be a perfect 5 out of 5 for me if not for my admittedly personal opinion that cheaters fucking suck and don’t deserve a happy ending without seeing some kind of justice. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day” Vol 1, by Nachi Aono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

At an orphanage, the children are trained as magical soldiers for the military. Sheena Totsuki recently lost her roommate, a casualty of the war, and one night she runs into a strange girl named Mimi, a very powerful soldier who now rooms with her.

Prepare for children getting hurt. BADLY. If you can’t handle that, this is not the comic for you. It is also weird… They have this thing where kissing transfers mana to heal, and this means adults kissing young children. Nope, not on the forehead or something. The nurse is a fucking creep. Mimi is 10 years old.

Since we’re still introducing the world and characters, we don’t know much about what’s going on. Only that these child soldiers are undergoing dangerous training to put their lives on the line fighting monsters. I sincerely hope the kissing thing is phased out or relegated to two characters of the same damn age because, what the fuck. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dra-Q” Vol. 1, by Chiyo

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers due to gore.

Amelie Kurosaki is a high school girl hiding the fact that she is a vampire who must follow strict rules in order to continue living among humans. When attacks on humans seem vampiric, it puts Amelie’s secret at risk.

This volume doesn’t waste any time getting started. Main character, love interest, family drama, and rival love interest all plunked down in under 200 pages. It’s gory and has some dark humor, but the pace doesn’t let you sit with what’s happening for very long. You know the rules Amelie is given are presented to be inevitably broken, but I didn’t think all of them would be broken in the first volume. The plot is fun, the blood and gore are top-notch, but I almost felt dizzy by the end of it. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 19, by Yūsei Matsui

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This volume is the Battle at Ishizu where Akiie’s army is outnumbered and Tokiyuki faces his former retainer, Morofuyu.

I get that fleeing is Tokiyuki’s thing, but wow, he is losing allies and friends right and left. This is historically based, and yes, when waging a war, things don’t go smoothly and you lose people. But still, this volume doesn’t really make Tokiyuki look good. 2.5 out of 5.

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